There are four basic attitudes to money, according to Brad Klontz, a research associate professor at Kansas State University. He calls them “money scripts”: money avoidance, money worship, money status and money vigilance.

The first three are rather simple to grasp. Those who avoid money may believe that they do not deserve it or they fear the dangers of having it. Either way, not surprisingly, they tend to have low incomes and net worth. Interestingly, they also tend to be younger, which probably reflects their inexperience.